This invention relates to a hand tool for engaging and handling wire racks, particularly shelf-like racks such as those typically found in ovens.
Various design patents of tools and utensils used for pushing or pulling oven racks have been invented. Some of these include inventions found in U.S. Pat. Nos. D379,736, D256,875, D353,307, D345,285, D268,561, D267,620, and D261,595. In contrast to these cited patents the oven rack moving tool, U.S. Pat. No. D264,037, uses spaced hooks to engage the oven rack. This provides limited additional stability over the previous designs during the push or pull operations. All of these devices are limited to pushing or pulling of the oven rack. In addition, such devices accomplish no positive or secure engagement of the oven rack. The barbecue grill lifting tool, U.S. Pat. No. 4,471,985, uses leverage to lift a grill by wedging the head between two grill wires. The engaging element forces the concentration of all the grill wire weight onto two of the wires thereby providing the possibility of bending of these wires. By its several grooves the engaging element itself provides a very limited secure engagement of the grill wire.
The problem with the prior art just reviewed is that they were not designed to give a high degree of control over the oven rack during handling. Part of the reason for this problem is that an oven rack is large and bulky and the cited inventions do not address this characteristic. In addition, where no tool is used there is always the danger of burns. Even in the case of using oven mitts or pot holders, heat can sometimes penetrate the cloth and burn a person's hand or fingers. Fingers can also easily slip beyond or through pot holders and get burned on the wires of the oven rack.
The insufficient degree of control over the oven rack by current oven rack utensils and the safety concern for the possibility of bums are the problems that this wire rack handling tool invention intends to solve or mitigate. These problems manifest themselves by sliding of the tools during push or pull operation and insufficient or no lifting capability. This wire rack handling tool invention provides a high degree of control over the oven rack while at the same time keeping a person's hands away from said rack thereby reducing the possibility of burns.